How long is maternity leave for my US employees?

There is no obligation for US employers to give paid maternity leave to their workers. Instead, paid maternity leave is a form of benefit, so the length of maternity leave varies from company to company, and state to state.

US employers are not required to offer paid maternity leave to their workers.

Instead, maternity leave is a matter left to each employer to decide upon. It’s treated as a form of benefit, so the duration and conditions of maternity leave vary from business to business, and state to state.

However, the Family and Medical Leave Act requires that US employers (with 50 or more employees) to allow mothers to take time off (up to 12 weeks) for the purpose of pregnancy or child rearing while holding a worker’s job and health insurance in place. There is no requirement to provide pay.

Many states expand upon this law, however. For example, the District of Columbia have reduced the threshold of 50 employees down to 10 employees, and some have extended the length of time away from the workplace beyond 12 weeks. If you’d like to hire a worker through Foothold America, we will handle the HR logistics.

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